Imposter syndrome: find out what it is and how to heal

The impostor syndrome is a problem that, contrary to what one might think, affects the most capable people.

The term impostor syndrome refers to the tendency to think that one does not deserve the successes obtained thanks to one’s own merits. This is a problem which usually the most capable people suffer from and which therefore are also the most distant from such a reality. Often, sufferers live with a constant sense of discomfort that can make life more difficult than it really is. A problem that can only be solved by going back to its origins and helping the person who feels like an impostor to understand that what he has is only the result of his work. So let’s find out what the symptoms of this syndrome are and how to remedy them.

Symptoms of impostor syndrome

Often behind a problem there are triggers that it is essential to recognize in order to treat them in the most correct way possible. Specifically, if we talk about the impostor syndrome, the causes are often to be found in the past of those who experience this discomfort and in the reasons that have led to a low self-esteem.

Reasons often attributable to the family or to experiences lived in the first social confrontations with others. First of all, however, it is essential to recognize the problem and to do so you can resort to the recognition of some symptoms:

– Fear of confrontation with others even when you are more experienced than them
– Delusions of perfectionism
– Discomfort in feeling the center of attention
– Difficulty in managing compliments
– Awareness of being able to make mistakes
– Performance anxiety
– Lack of self – esteem
– Constant fear of making mistakes
– Need to create an alibi to justify any mistake

These are the most important symptoms that can occur all together or individually but which can generally help to get a clear picture of the problem.

Imposter syndrome: the remedies

Now that we know what the symptoms of impostor syndrome are it is important to understand how to fix it. In fact, the remedies for the impostor syndrome concern a therapeutic approach that takes place in several phases and which, after having discovered and analyzed the causes, must aim to bring the subject back to recognize that it is valid. To do this, it is therefore important to first recognize that you have a problem and then work on it in order to reduce it as much as possible.

This can be possible in small steps and learning to recognize a value that is not necessarily linked to personal successes , which must be seen for what they are, thus helping self – esteem to grow, until the syndrome is completely overcome.

Cover photo source: https://pixabay.com/it/photos/ragazza-tristezza-solitudine-triste-3421489/